Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-08-19
INVESTIGATION COMMENCED.
Examination of Witnesses by the Rail-
road Commissioners.

CHATSw ORTIZ, Ills, Aug. Is The board
of railroad commissioners arrived here at
noon yesterday and began an investigation
of the rece mt disaster. j. j. Sutherland one
of the engineers of the train was sworn
He said he was a locomotive engineer on
the Toledo, Peoria and Western road, run
ming engine 81 in the lead The train
was behind its schedule time hav-
ing started from Peoria thirty min
utes late. Some time was lost at Weston
and Forest, and the train was about
two hours late when it drew out of Forest
He saw, as he approached the bridge, what
seemed to be flames on the south side of the
track. He then saw something was wrong
with the bridge, but it was too late to do
anything. His fireman called to him to
jump, and leaped from the engine. He got
on to the footboard to prepare himself for
whatever came, but made up his mind not to
jumY, When he first saw the bridge it looked
like embers 1t seemed to burst into flames
when he ran on the bridge. 1t was not a
raging fire, nor did it communicate with the
cars on the bridge He saw, as he expressed
it, death staring him in the face" He shut
off his engine and felt the bridge sink.
Sutherland then opened the valve to get
the train through. The force Of the train
pushed the engine over, breaking it loose
from the tender. He stopped his engine and
ran back to the wreck Witness carried
water and extingushed everything in the
nature of an incipent fire. He was running
between thirty and thirty-ive miles an hour.
but could not tell exactly. He said he saw
danger at the bridge, the appearance being
that of burning embers or Goals. 1t was not
blazing at the time. There were more live
c ont ha sir # bn l,iI
ness said he was not i'll his normal condition
as he crossed the bridge, inasmuch as he
never expected to get out alive There was
no question in his mind but the bridge was
on fire. He had no power to stop the train
between the time he saw the fire and his ar
rival at the bridge. His engine had no air
brake. Neither whistle was sounded for lack
of time. There could be no doubt Of the
bridge being on fire when the engine crossed
The flames were famed by the passage of the
train.
John Rogers, fireman of Sutherland's en-
CINE, was sworn. He saw a little fire on the
side of the track near the bridge on the night
Of the accident. He observed parks rising
and Goals in the center of the track and
jumped from the engine, calm, to his engi
necr to follow He thought the bridge was
burned away when he jumped. The train
was running pretty fast when the accident
occurred
Axle Applegreen, the fireman of the sec.
ond engine on the train, testified that he was
leaning on the sill of the cab window on the
left hand side when the engine jumped up in
the or and turned over on its side He was
scalded, and thought she was gonen as he
expressed it. He saw nothing of the fire at
the time of the accident, but saw it immedi.
ately afterward.
b. Il. Armstrong, superintendent of the
road, said he was on the excursion at the
time of the accident. The train was carefully
inspected at Peoria and under his super
vision. Orders were issued by him to road.
masters to burn the dead grass and weeds.
j. II, Mariley, bridge inspector, on May Il
reported the bridge in good condition and
good for two years The train was running
from thirty to forty miles per hour. His
track was good for forty-five miles per hour.
The road is in fine condition-steel rails with
lash bars
The investigation will he resumed at Peoria
in the early part of next week. A number Of